The men's football tournament at the 2023 Arab Games was held from 2 to 14 July 2023 in Algeria, following an 11-year hiatus. Matches will be played in Annaba and Constantine. For the first time, teams are restricted to under-23 players, and a maximum of three over-aged players.
| كرة القدم في الألعاب الرياضية العربية 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Algeria |
| Dates | 2–14 July |
| Teams | 8 (from 2 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Saudi Arabia (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Syria |
| Third place |  Sudan |
| Fourth place |  Algeria |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 34 (2.13 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Al-Gozoli Hussein Nooh (5 goals) |
Bahrain were the defending champions, having beat Jordan in the final of the 2011 edition.
Stadiums
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Annaba | 19 May 1956 Stadium | 58,100 |
| Constantine | Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium | 22,986 |
Teams
Participating countries
Eight teams are participating in the tournament, all under-23 with the exception of Saudi Arabia who are participating with their under-19 team.
| Confederation | Nation |
|---|---|
| CAF (Africa) |
|
| AFC (Asia) |
Squads
Draw
The draw took place on 19 June 2023. Host Algeria was automatically seeded in Pot 1. The remaining teams were seeded based on the FIFA ranking.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Officiating
Group stage
All times are local, AST (UTC+1).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algeria (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 2 | Sudan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | |
| 3 | Oman | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 4 | |
| 4 | Lebanon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
| Lebanon | 0–3 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Sudan | 1–2 | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Algeria | 2–0 | Lebanon |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | Palestine | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Mauritania | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 |
| Palestine | 1–1 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Mauritania | 1–1 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Saudi Arabia | 2–1 | Palestine |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
Knockout stage
| Semifinals | Final | |||||
| 11 July – Annaba | ||||||
| Algeria | 1 | |||||
| 14 July – Annaba | ||||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2 | |||||
| Saudi Arabia (p) | 1 (5) | |||||
| 11 July – Annaba | ||||||
| Syria | 1(4) | |||||
| Syria | 2 | |||||
| Sudan | 0 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 14 July – Annaba | ||||||
| Algeria | 2 (2) | |||||
| Sudan (p) | 2 (4) | |||||
Semi-finals
| Algeria | 1–2 | Saudi Arabia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Syria | 2–0 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Bronze medal match
| Algeria | 2–2 | Sudan |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
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| Penalties | ||
| Benzid Reguieg Djenidi Bouras | 2–4 | Nooh Mahmoud Ali Al-Bahli Babeker |
Gold medal match
Final ranking
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 9 | Gold Medal | |
| Syria | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 9 | Silver Medal | |
| Sudan | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 7 | Bronze Medal | |
| 4 | Algeria (H) | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 | Fourth place |
| 5 | Oman | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 4 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 6 | Palestine | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 2 | |
| 7 | Mauritania | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 | |
| 8 | Lebanon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 |
Goalscorers
There have been 34 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 2.12 goals per match (as of 15 July 2023).
5 goals
4 goals
- Suhaib Al-Zaid
- Mardik Mardikian
3 goals
1 goal
- Abdessamed Bounacer
- Massinissa Nait Salem
- Boualem Sryer
- Syed Ahmed
- Cheikh Baye
- Hmeide Cheikh Elwely
- Ahmed Sheikh
- Anas Bani Odeh
- Ali Rabei
- Abbas Al-Hassan
- Faisal Al-Abdulwahed
- Suleiman Ezzalla Hamouda
- Mohamed Al-Hassan Ismat
- Maysara Saadalla
- Hassan Dahan
- Huzan Osman
- Muhammad Rihani